Tuesday, March 27, 2018

How many voters actually read a proposed proposition from start to finish?

I think most voters probably take for granted that the blip we read on our ballots accurately reflects the true use for the money.

Well...so much for that! I think whoever writes those blips are banking (pun intended) on our trust in their leadership and our ultimate ignorance. These people should be prosecuted for misrepresenting the voters.

Case(s) in point.

The ballot in the picture was recently mailed out in anticipation of the vote on May 5th. The proposition is from the Tarrant Regional Water District and claims to be for flood control and drainage facilities. Please refer to the link below which documents that the Tarrant Regional Water District needs the money to fund the Panther Island project north of downtown....AKA Trinity River Vision (TRV), the project is a proposed 800 acres of economic development in downtown Fort Worth. Why doesn't the ballot blip reflect this?

How many voters will be hoodwinked and vote yes to the $250 million thinking they're actually getting flood control and drainage facilities from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) for this money?!

By the way, this isn't the first time voters in Fort Worth have been duped by these ballot blips relative to Panther Island/Trinity River Vision (TRV).

We were tricked in 2004 when we voted for a $232 million proposition for street and sewer improvements when the fine print indicated it was actually for the design and construction of the Trinity River Vision project.

We were tricked again in 2008 when we voted for a $150 million proposition for street improvements when the fine print indicated it was actually for the 3 bridges over dry land which still have not been constructed 10 years later.....yet TRWD claims their project is on schedule and on budget.

Let's try not to let our City "leaders" trick us again!

TRWD will be holding a series of public meetings to discuss this bond package. Please attend one or more of the public meetings (listed below) being presented by TRWD and ask some questions before you vote.

What areas will this money protect from flooding?

Where will these "drainage facilities" be located?

Will the areas that flood now still flood after the project is completed?

Where can voters see, in writing, what the money will be spent on?

Where can voters find a full accounting of the project up to this point?

Is it true the people were never allowed to vote for or against this project in the first place? Why not?

It's a fact the Army Corp of Engineers never conducted a cost/benefit analysis of this project at its inception as Congresswoman Kay Granger asked the USACE to waive it and they did. Why was this standard procedure exempted at her request?

Before we sink another $250 million more into this project, isn't it the time for the USACE to conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine if the project is worth $250 million more?

It's a fact the Congresswoman Kay Granger's son, JD Granger, is the project manager for Panther Island/TRV. What are his qualifications for this billion dollar project?

Ask TRWD about JD Granger's recreational ideas such as FW 4th party, the wake board park, the skating rink, tubing in the Trinity River. Are these money-makers or costing us money? What do these activities have to do with flood control and drainage?

Please ask questions and make an informed decision.....we owe it to our children and their future.

About Me

Mary lives on the east side of Fort Worth with her husband Larry where they farm about 200 acres in the Trinity River bottoms. In 2010, their lives were changed by unpermitted gas drilling and construction next door to their home which affected the natural flow of water in the area and resulted in unprecedented flooding of their farm. They quickly learned their elected officials and government agencies were more interested in the well-being of the gas drilling industry and developers than their constituents and are fighting back!